Speaker: Colleen Sen
Location: Roger Smith Hotel, 501 Lexington at 47th St., New York
Description: Although curry had its origins on the Indian Subcontinent
(where, ironically, the word was not widely used until recently), it has
become global food par excellence. Its many incarnations include the
elegant, curries of Thailand; the exuberant curry/rotis of the Caribbean;
kari/raisu, Japan's favorite comfort food; South African bunny chow;
Indonesian gulais and rendang; British pub food and balti cuisine;
Norwegian curried herring on toast; German currywurst; even
Punjabi-Mexican-California pizza. Colleen Taylor Sen will discuss the
origins of this popular dish (while debunking some myths about Indian
food), explain how and why it spread so far and wide, and speculate on the
reasons for its continuing popularity.
Speaker’s bio: Chicago-based food historian Colleen Taylor Sen writes
about the cuisine of the Indian Subcontinent. She is the author of the
books Food Culture in India (2004); Curry: A Global History (2009); and
Pakoras, Paneer, Pappadums: A Guide to Indian Restaurant Menus (2010).
Her articles on travel, food and restaurants have appeared in Travel and
Leisure, Food Arts, Chicago Sun Times, Chicago Tribune, Toronto Globe and
Mail, and the proceedings of the Oxford Food Symposia. She is currently
writing a history of Indian food.
Cost: $45, which includes curry dishes and a copy of Curry: A Global History
To register, go to: http://www.eventbrite.com/
Future Edible Conversations include:
February 4, 2011; A Conversation with Amanda Hesser; Speaker: Amanda Hesser
February 28, 2011; One Big Table: A Portrait of American Cooking; Speaker:
Molly O’Neill
March 5, 2011; Whiskey: What It Is and How It Came to Be; Speaker: Kevin
R. Kosar
April 4, 2011; How the Lowly Spud Changed the World; Speaker: Andrew F. Smith
May 1, 2011; Spices: A Change Agent in World History; Speaker: Fred Czarra
May 16, 2011; Our Love Affair With Lobster: First You Scorned Me Now You
Love Me? Speaker: Elisabeth Townsend
June 6, 2011; From Tallahassee to Tokyo: The Scoop on Ice Cream's Global
Allure; Speaker: Laura Weiss
